The Dead Walk Among Us

Chapter 5: Miles To Travel

I wipe tears from my eyes
        "I don't even know where to go from here," I say.
"Would you mind if you took me to my parents' house?" she asks.
"Sure, I'll take you. Where do they live?" I say.
"Emerald street. It's a eight hour drive from here. I'll guide you," she says. I failed Iris. I failed Jack. I should have kept them safe.
"Tell me about your family," I say.
"They're nice. My cousin Lisa is supposed to be with them. When this all started she was visiting. I have younger sisters, their twins. I miss them so much.Then there's my parents: my mother was a paramedic before all this. My dad was a doctor. They both taught me everything I know about how to help someone medically. Tell me about your family," she says.
"I never had a family. I was in foster care. I met Iris and Jack at school. They were like a brother and sister to me. When this all happened, they were the ones I looked to for help," I say.

The sun starts rising. A few minutes go by and then I see two kids on the side of the road. It's a boy and a girl. They are waving their arms to get our attention.
"Pull over. They need help," Elizabeth says.
"I don't know...what if they are infected? Or with another group and trying to set a trap for us?" I say.
"But what if they aren't? Are you really going to drive away and leave them?" Elizabeth says.

I pull over. The kids are pulling on the back door handle trying to get in. I roll the window down an inch.
"Hey! Stop it!" I yell.
They stop in the middle of the road. I look at their eyes. They're not infected. I wonder where they came from.
"Why are you two out here alone?" Elizabeth asks.
"Where we were staying was taken over by the zombies. We just need a ride to our grandparents' house. Can you please take us?" the boy pleads.
"Where's your grandparents' house?" Elizabeth asks.
"Emerald street. It's about a eight hour drive," the girl says.
"Give us a second to talk," I say. I roll up the window. I turn to Elizabeth.
"What do you want to do?" I ask.
"They're kids, we shouldn't leave them. We should take them with us. They're going where we are, so why not?" Elizabeth says. I roll down the window.
"Get in," I say.

They get in the backseat. I start driving again. I first drove a car when I was thirteen. Me and Iris found a working truck on a run. Needless to say we crashed, but we both learned how to drive...eventually. I'm not too good at it, but it's not like there are other cars on the road or even laws to uphold. Iris was a way better driver than I was.
"What are your names?" Elizabeth says.
"I'm Alex and this is my brother Jake," The girl says.
"I'm Elizabeth and this is Jade," Elizabeth says. "How old are you two?"
"I'm eleven and she's ten," Jake says.
"Where are your parents?" Elizabeth asks.
"We don't know. One day they went off on a run and never came back. Our house was attacked by the zombies one day, so we had to leave. We don't know if they are still alive or not," Jake says.

These kids seem...suspicious in a way. I don't trust them just yet. I know they're just kids, but who knows if they are working with a larger group to draw survivors in.

What if they aren't even human? What if they are zombies who somehow figured out a way to hide their eyes? Elizabeth seems to trust them...more than she should. I have seen first hand that you should never trust anyone.

I continue driving. I look in the rear view mirror every few minutes. I'm checking to make sure no one is following us. I know their probably isn't going to be anyone, but I still check.
"You seem...paranoid," Elizabeth says.
"Uh, yeah...I just am trying to make sure no one is following us. I know it sounds odd, but I'm just making sure," I say.
"Let me drive. I actually have a license to drive unlike you," she says.
After a few hours Elizabeth is now driving. I see a small store in the distance. Maybe we should stop there.
"Pull in there. We are going to need food and water."

After a few minutes of driving, we reach the store. I get out of the car. I count my bullets: ten. Better make my shots count. I open the door with my gun drawn. I slowly walk towards the shelves. I quietly step through the store.

I hear a crashing sound behind the counter. I turn quickly to the sound. I peek over the counter to see a raccoon eating out of a garbage can. He looks at me and runs out the door. I grab some canned food and get back to the car.
"Did you find anything?" Elizabeth asks.
"Not much. Some canned food and a few bottles of water," I say. She starts driving again. 
"How much gas do we have left?" I ask.
"Half a tank. It won't get us all the way, but it will get us a long way," Elizabeth says.

Suddenly an explosion tosses the truck back. The truck is now upside down. A woman pulls Elizabeth out of the car. The kids are then pulled out of the car. It all happens so fast I can barely react.
"Jake! Alex!" I yell. I unbuckle myself and try crawling out but someone grabs my leg. The person starts pulling me out. I grab onto on of the seats. I kick at the person.
"Let go!" the person yells. The person pulls me out. I grab my gun and point it at the three people holding Alex, Jake, and Elizabeth.
"Let them go!" I say. "We didn't do anything to you!"
"We are not letting go of our dinner," one of them says. They're not zombies, they're...cannibals!
"You are sick!" Elizabeth yells.
"I'll give you all our food, if you let them go," I say.
"No, This isn't a negotiation," the man says.
"Let them go or I'll shoot all of you," I say. The man pulls out a gun and points it at Elizabeth.
"You really want to threaten us? Choose your next words carefully," he says.
"Don't shoot her!" I say.
"Then lower you weapon slowly," he says.
"Don't do it!" Elizabeth yells.
I lower my gun.
"Now put it on the ground and kick it to me," the man says. No way! I'm not doing that!
"No," I say.
"Really? Well, then I guess your friend dies," he says. I put the gun on the ground and kick it to him.
"Don't kill her," I beg. Someone hits me over the head with a wooden plank. I fall over. Everything's blurry. I pass out.